Budget paves way for surplus

Last night's federal budget has set aside little extra funding for regional Victoria.

The big ticket items included $1 billion over four years for the first stage of a National Disability Insurance Scheme and more than $500 million to improve dental health services.

The Government has scrapped a planned tax cut for companies but payments to 1.5 million low and middle income families will be up to $600 higher.

Funding for many programs in the state's regions will remain steady or be reduced to fund the Government's $1.5 billion surplus.

There is extra money for heavy vehicle safety and seatbelts on regional buses programs but no new money for road projects.

Funding has been redirected from other health programs to fund incentives for doctors to practise in regional areas.

The Government will spend $30 million to establish a Manufacturing Technology Innovation Centre.

Some agricultural levies will go up and $22 million will be spent to improve biosecurity measures.

The Natural Disaster Recovery Taskforce will get an extra $2.6 million and after school care programs will be extended.

The Caring for Our Country program will continue at normal funding levels but funding to reform water use in the Murray-Darling Basin area will be reduced by about $60 million over two years.

Rural doctors

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia says it is disappointed there is no extra funding to encourage doctors to work in rural and regional areas.

The Government will spend about $39 million on the General Practice Rural Incentives Program, by redirecting money from other health workforce programs.

The association's chief executive, Jenny Johnson, says that means it will continue to be difficult to attract doctors to where they are most needed.

"Those practice incentive payments are really important for rural practices and some of the ways in which they're going to be reduced I'm sure are going to impact adversely on private rural practices, which really are the backbone of the delivery of health services in rural areas," she said.

Carbon price

The Climate Institute's chief executive, John Connor, says the introduction of a carbon price in the budget will benefit regional Victorians.

"I think this is a very important day for regional Victoria because that revenue will go to work supporting carbon farming, supporting clean energy, which I think will have significant benefits for regional Australians," he said.

"It also has the carbon price, the revenue coming from those big businesses supporting low income households."